Teel Time: U.Va.'s Jake McGee ready to be complete tight end

Virginia’s Jake McGee has the hip part of playing tight end down pat. Ask Miami, Penn State or Richmond. Or the Scott Stadium fans who witnessed his acrobatics last season.

Now comes the tedious part.

If McGee can become a proficient blocker, he just might approach the gold standard of Cavaliers tight ends: Heath Miller.

“Approach” because labeling a junior with 28 career receptions another Miller is folly. Miller caught 144 passes in three seasons at Virginia and in 2004 became the Cavaliers’ second unanimous first-team All-American – offensive tackle Jim Dombrowski was the first in 1985.

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Miller in the first round of the 2005 draft, and he’s been a lineup staple since, making two Pro Bowls and helping the team win two Super Bowls. And trust me, you don’t play eight seasons at tight end for the hard-hat Steelers unless you embrace the job’s yin (blocking) and yang (receiving).

Blocking is “part of the position,” McGee said Friday at Virginia’s preseason media gathering. “It’s taken me awhile because I was light when I first got here. … There’s a body type you need to be.”

A quarterback at Richmond’s Collegiate School, McGee was 6-foot-5, 210 pounds when he signed with Virginia three-plus years ago. Hardly the tight end body type.

He redshirted in 2010 and played primarily on special teams in 2011 before bounding onto center stage last season.

His first collegiate catch, in the opener versus overmatched Richmond, was a one-handed, mid-air snare that gained 17 yards. McGee was backpedaling on the play, summoned his basketball hops and snatched Michael Rocco’s pass with his left hand along the sidelines.

A week later against Penn State, McGee was not only spectacular but also clutch. His 44-yard, defenders-hanging-on-him reception on a third-and-16 sustained Virginia’s last-ditch drive, and his 6-yard touchdown catch with 1:28 left lifted the Cavaliers to a 17-16 victory after Drew Jarrett’s extra point.

Still, at 235 pounds, McGee lacked the size to play every snap, and senior Paul Freedman (255 pounds) and Colter Phillips (250) saw significant time. With Freedman and Phillips gone, and with his weight up to 250, McGee is prepared to work full-time.

“Personally I knew what I could do,” McGee said of last preseason. “But there weren’t’ expectations on me. No one really knew about me. It was a fun situation because as the season (progressed) I got to become more of a name. …

“I would have liked the ball a little more, but I didn’t earn all of (the playing time). … This year I’m excited because there’s a lot on me.”

McGee spent the summer at U.Va., working in the weight room to become stronger, in the film room and on the field to improve his blocking techniques.

“He can do the blocking,” said tailback Kevin Parks, McGee’s close friend. “Everyone (says) he can’t block. But if you look at Jake on tape, you’ll see Jake knocking some guys out. … It’s not that he can’t do it. It’s is he really willing to do it?”

Bring it on, McGee said.

“I’d say I’ve improved a lot. I feel confident in saying I can be an every-down blocker, every down player. … I consider myself a weapon. I (feel) me being on the field as many plays as possible will help the team.”

Now standing 6-6, McGee will make an inviting and reliable target for presumptive starting quarterback David Watford, a sophomore who redshirted last season and struggled with accuracy as a reserve in 2011. Rocco and McGee developed an instinctive connection in 2012, but Rocco transferred to Richmond during the offseason.

“David’s been hearing a lot from me this summer,” McGee said with a smile. “I’ve been trying to make him my best friend. I stay in his ear. I tell him I love him every day.”

McGee’s also grown close to Larry Lewis, the Cavaliers’ new special teams coordinator.

“He loves special teams,” Lewis said of McGee. “Can I play him on every one of them? Probably not. Would I like to? Yeah, because he brings that attitude and effort.”

Said McGee: “I enjoy it because I don’t think I’m the typical image of a guy running down punts and running down kickoffs. … I don’t think other teams think of me as a guy that can run by them. … That’s where I truly get to do some hitting. … It’s the only time I can truly let go and try and make a tackle.”

McGee insists the additional pounds haven’t affected his speed, and if he’s right, Virginia could have its second first-team All-ACC tight end of the last decade. The other, of course, is Miller.

“The biggest thing is, he’s gained weight,” head coach Mike London said of McGee. “You don’t want to be a one-dimensional tight end. … You’re going to try and block college defensive ends or linebackers, that’s a mismatch.

“He worked hard putting weight on. He worked hard to get the muscle mass needed to play on the line if needed and still have the skill to play off the line, kind of in that H-back position. … I think he has as (much) ability as any tight end I’ve seen.”

I can be reached at 247-4636 or by e-mail at dteel@dailypress.com. Follow me at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP